North America Distribution

Facts About

In New England, American spikenard is usually found in moist deciduous forests. It is an attractive plant that bears showy clusters of purple-red fruits in autumn. Native Americans used an infusion of the roots to treat a wide variety of ailments, including tuberculosis, coughs, colds, sore throats, menstrual problems, kidney problems, and lung diseases. They also applied a poultice of the root to burns, swelling, wounds, boils, sprained muscles, and broken bones.

Habitat

Forest edges, forests

Characteristics

Habitat

terrestrial

New England state

Connecticut

Maine

Massachusetts

New Hampshire

Rhode Island

Vermont

Flower petal color

white

Leaf type

the leaves are compound (made up of two or more discrete leaflets

Leaf arrangement

alternate: there is one leaf per node along the stem

Leaf blade edges

the edge of the leaf blade has teeth

Flower symmetry

there are two or more ways to evenly divide the flower (the flower is radially symmetrical)